Mayor’s Row……by Ned Mitchell
Everybody line up, all those in opposition to the little league ball park in Marion are going to have to apologize to Mayor Bob Butler since he has condemned us to that place of eternal flame. Not! What Mayor Butler and Glenn Poshard and others do not understand is that we don’t care where the facility is, we are opposed to tax money being used to finance a project like this. It makes no difference to me if the project is in Bloomington or Marion, I am opposed to tax money being used to pay for any portion of projects like this. Let me explain a little more. I am close friends with a person who owns a manufacturing plant in Franklin County. This plant employs about 20 full time people, already twice as many as the little league park. The plant is undergoing record growth and would like to expand. This owner has been trying for two years to borrow, notice I said borrow, $750,000.00 from the state at a low rate of interest. This will allow the business to expand and provide another 8 full time jobs. These jobs pay a decent wage and have benefits such as health insurance with them. This request has been denied at every turn by some bureaucrat up the road in the system. The question begs to be asked, if the business owner had contributed a million dollars to the governor and other top democrats in Illinois, would he still be begging for assistance? A person with no sense would already know the answer to that question. It’s a pay to play system!
So, the bottom line is I don’t care if Marion and a wealthy attorney want to spend their money on this project, I wish them the best. But, when they go to dragging my tax money in spending 3 or 4 million dollars to create 10 full time jobs, I’ve got a problem with that. But hey, I feel the same way about the 30 million dollars being built in Sparta for a shooting complex that most folks will have trouble getting to because of the lack of interstate highways in that area, or the hundreds of thousands of dollars just announced in Saline County for a deer hunter’s park. Where’s the beef? If we were in the midst of booming economic times and had money to waste I would say go for it. But we are not and one has to wonder if those millions would have been better spent saving coal mining jobs, the cookie factory, Joy Manufacturing, Roundy’s and others that have shut their doors and laid off employees. If Marion and attorney John Simmons want to foot the bill for this project that cuts guys like me out of the loop, but if they make a run at tax money that belongs to all of us, count me in, I’m opposed to all projects like this no matter where they are located.
Speaking of jobs, or lack of jobs, it comes down to who do you believe. In Illinois we are told that we have added about 30,000 jobs in the last three months. Where? They are not around here that I can see. Anyhow while the state bureaucrats are crowing about all this job creation on one hand on the other, we hear from the U S Department of Labor and they say that in the last two years Illinois has added 7,100 jobs and that’s a good thing. Only trouble is Missouri has added 26,100, Iowa 26,000, Kentucky 32,100, Wisconsin 50,900, and Indiana 56,800. In the past few years we have lost 18,000 coal mining jobs, and that does not count other jobs that went by the wayside that provided service and equipment to the coal industry. We have lost 5,800 state employees. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but do these politicians really think the average Joe is buying this nonsense?. Do you know anybody close to you that is out of work? Do you have any family or friends that have no health insurance? We all do, and folks it is high time for those elected in Springfield to at least get their collective heads out of the sand long enough to admit that we have problems around here, particularly in Franklin County. Its’ like being treated for alcoholism, unless you admit you have a drinking problem, treatment will fail. We need some folks to get honest with us and admit we have employment and health insurance problems in this area and get their common sense back in order. Then and only then can we start solving the crisis that is all around us. Despite all the polished politician talk, baseball is not going to save us. Get used to it!
The reformer/unreformer governor pulled a fast one last week by diverting 10 million dollars into a stem cell research program. I’ve not studied that issue enough to become an expert so I’ll just listen to both sides for now and see where this goes. I do have a little problem with the way it was done however. This legislation has been debated for two years now in Illinois and has not passed either the house or the senate, so folks there seem to be divided too. A logical person would think the reformer/unreformer would let them hash it out, but not this guy. He even is quoted as saying “it’s too bad we live in a democracy where things move too slowly.” That comment ought to be a big hit to our men and women fighting for a democracy in other countries. Anyhow the reformer/unreformer governor used what is called an executive order to use this 10 million dollars. Now, to refine that executive order business where we can all understand it, I thought I would give it a try here in Sesser. Thinking I’m mayor, and if he can get by with it, why can’t I? I’ve been trying for over 20 years to get rid of the outhouse at Maple Hill Cemetery and just never seemed to get the job done. I mean this was a modern outhouse by anyone’s standards. It had not two holes but four! There were two holes for the men’s side and two for the women’s. So, after much thought I decided if he could get by with it so could I. I issued an executive order to get rid of the outhouse! The difference being I did not have a press conference and sign a proclamation, I just caught city workers with a half empty roll off container and they tore it down, loaded it up and hauled it to the landfill. They went above and beyond duty! Despite what some of my friends allege, this will not be a burying spot for any of my enemies. First of all I would not even think of doing that and secondly, the spot would not be big enough!
We are sad around city hall these days about the loss of former city clerk Bill Stacey. Bill had been involved in Sesser city government for a long time. He gave me my first oath of office as an alderman and many times after that as Mayor. Bill was a good source of advice from what the people thought. Most times our friends tell us what we want to hear but Bill had his ear to the ground and offered advice from that perspective. We have his wife Marilyn as city clerk after Bill’s retirement and we need to remember her and her family in our thoughts and prayers. We will miss Bill Stacey!
Also my former neighbor and long time Sesser resident Dorothy Looney has passed away. Dorothy had one of the biggest yards in town and she kept it manicured, even at age 82, she was mowing and working everyday outside. We send our condolences to Dorothy’s family.
Irma Dean Lance is at home on South Cockrum Street after an extended hospital and skilled care stay and I am sure she would appreciate a card, phone call, or visit.
This is the last time I will mention tickets for sale to the Billy Grammer “Gotta Travel On” tribute on August 27, 2005 at Valente’s Terrace in Sesser. Tickets are $15.00 for dinner and show and if I told you who all from Nashville is going to be here, folks would be lined up for tickets. I’ll just say buy a ticket and you will not be disappointed. The trick here is though, we only have 150 tickets to sell and they are going fast. There will be surprise guests at this tribute to our friends Billy and Ruth Grammer and that’s all I’m going to say about this event. Trust me, don’t miss this show!
Don’t forget to plant your turnips Monday as the saying goes plant your turnips wet or dry, the 25th of July!
Need to talk, give us a call at 625-3611, 625-5322, 625-5788 or email nedmitchell@verizon.net or visit our web page www.sesser.org .
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